What Is the Difference Between Open Burner or Sealed Burner Gas Ranges?

by Herb Kirchhoff

Sealed gas range burners make for easy cleanup.

Many homeowners prefer gas ranges because of the high heat they produce, ease of heat adjustment and the instant on and off. Gas range buyers have a choice between open and sealed burners. There are significant differences between these two burner types that could affect your decision on which type to buy.

Differing Cleanup

An open burner has a space around each burner. Spills can drip down beneath the burner through the open space. Ranges with open burners have drip trays beneath the burners to catch drips and spills. With most ranges, you have to lift up the stovetop to access the drip trays for cleaning. With sealed burners, the cooktop extends right up to the burner so there is no open space around the burner. Drips and spills stay on the stovetop where they can be easily wiped up.

Heat Differences

Open and sealed burners differ in their heat output. A standard open burner on a household range produces about 9,000 British thermal units of heat per hour. Open burners on commercial ranges may produce 16,000 Btu per hour. Small sealed burners may produce 5,000 Btu per hour, while large ones can produce up to 12,500 Btu per hour. Some ranges may have a big 12,500-Btu sealed burner for quick food heating, and several small 5,000-Btu burners for simmering.

About the Author

Herb Kirchhoff has more than three decades of hands-on experience as an avid garden hobbyist and home handyman. Since retiring from the news business in 2008, Kirchhoff takes care of a 12-acre rural Michigan lakefront property and applies his experience to his vegetable and flower gardens and home repair and renovation projects.

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